The Australian Government has officially opened registrations for the Australia Work and Holiday visa 2025 ballot for the 2025–2026 Program Year. This year’s ballot is open to eligible applicants from China, India, and Vietnam, offering young adults from these countries a unique opportunity to live, work, and holiday in Australia for up to 12 months.
Ballot registrations will be accepted from 24 June to 15 July 2025, giving prospective applicants a three-week window to enter their country’s respective ballot system. This is a pre-application step and is mandatory for anyone wishing to apply for their first Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa during this program year.
The ballot system is designed to manage the high volume of interest fairly, as demand for this visa continues to grow each and every year. Only those selected through the ballot will be invited to submit a full visa application.
In 2024, it is said that more than 98,000 Indian citizens registered for Australia’s Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) after the Australian Government opened 1,000 places for Indian nationals under this work and holiday Australia ballot-based system. However, despite the overwhelming interest, only 988 visas have been granted so far, as per the latest data from the Department of Home Affairs.
India officially joined the programme on October 1, 2024, under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), becoming the 50th partner country in the scheme.
During the October–November 2024 registration window, the Department received 139,633 valid registrations across India, China, and Vietnam. Of these, India accounted for the highest number — a staggering 98,019 registrations.
The high demand and limited quota highlight the competitive nature of the ballot system, especially for Indian applicants looking to take part in the Australia work and holiday visa 2025 program intake.